Chance of a Lifetime
by Chikin Wang
Summary: [Complete] Dewey is ninety eight and kinda sorta dying. Not really...but just go with it, okay? He thinks back to the time that the band broke up...[one shot][songfic]


Yay! It's my second SOR fic! It's a song fic, too. Hope y'all like it. Sorry to the guys that reviewed my other SOR fic, I couldn't find a real plot...actually, I did, but it kinda sucked. So here you go!

Disclaimer: I FREAKING DON'T OWN SCHOOL OF ROCK OR MEST! I SHALL BEAT YOU IF YOU THINK SO!

**Chance of a Lifetime**

Dewey Finn sat on the steps of his front porch, strumming his guitar absently. The wind of the cool night ruffled his messy white hair as his veined fingers played another chord. All was quiet. The neighbors had settle down some hours before at sunset and he had sneaked out to watch the serene full moon because he was having difficulties falling asleep.

He slowly stood up and a spasm of pain ran up his spine. WIncing, he hobbled to the porch swing. It swayed back and forth as he sat there, gazing at his yard full of puddies of moonlight.

_The end of the world's in front of me_

Hard to believe all I see

It comes so close but pulls away

To let me stay another day  


_  
_  
Everyone expected him to die ten years befor, with his lack of exercise and unhealthy diet. He was now ninety-eight and still breathing.

The final band that he started with a class of fifth graders he substituted half a century ago was a failed project. The kids went through middle and high school. Dewey expected them to start on their first album right after they all graduated from Horace Green High, but then their parents wanted them to go to college and get a career as a back up plan.

That was the beginning of the end.

With all of them scatered all over the country, it was impossible to have practices on a weekly basis. They all met for a day each month to practice and discuss things. Gordon was the first to stop after a year because he wanted to get serious about becoming an engineer. Then Billy moved to California to start his own design company. Summer was in Harvard and she was worried when she was no longer the top of her class, so she stopped coming. With every practice, another person dropped out.

Then the day came when Lawrence didn't come. Summer stopped coming about four months before, so the books and phone numbers were all thrown about haphazardly. Dewey couldn't find the keyboarder's current number at the time, so he called Mr. Tsai, Lawrence's father.

_It's one chance in your lifetime,_

But it won't be the last time

It seems theres always the next hill to climb

And you know there's a lifetime

"Hey, Tasi man, what's up?"

"Hello Mr. Finn," replied the other end of the line.

"Look, do you know where Lawrence is? Because he didn't come to band practice."

"He didn't tell you?"

"Er...no."

"He was transferred to study in England three weeks ago."

Dewey almost dropped the phone. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Not until summer," came the answer.

Dewey dropped the phone.

"Hello? _Hello_?" yelled Mr. Tsai.

Freddy hurried forward and picked up the phone. "Thanks man, bye," he turned it off and looked at Dewey, who was slowly taking a seat on the hard, wooden floor.

"What is it?" asked Zack, the lead guitarist.

"Lawrence...in...England...not...back...'til...summer..." he announced jerkily.

"He's not coming back until Summer does?" asked Marta, confused.

"He's in England and won't be coming back until the summer time," translated Tomika. "I'm guessing he's studying there or something."

Dewey nodded. "It's over," he whispered.

_The things that I see never end,  
_

_Tricking my mind to just pretend_

I understand what's happening

When others doubt

You still believe

"What?" chorused the room

"It's over," he repeated in a louder tone. "The Man's won."

"No he hasn't," argued Alicia as she adjusted her microphone. "All we have to do is have auditions for a new--."

"It's not going to be as good as the real thing," interrrupted Dewey. "You don't get it. What this band had was rare! You guys were like a gift from the God of Rock...and you had the gift! You all clicked, just like that. A replacement woudl mess it up!"

"So, what, we're not going to have a keyboard anymore?" asked Frankie as he went through the rules and regulations of an arena.

"No, put everything away."

"But we haven't even started!" argued Zack.

"It doesn't matter, I'm stopping it. I'm stopping it so that all of you can get your stupid careers and not make my life a mess by just dropping out, one at a time. I WILL NOT LET THE MAN GET ME!"

"Shoudln't be a band agreement?" asked Eleni, a former groupie turned product manufacturer.

"What band?" Dewey waved his arms around. "_Hello_, half of you have dropped out! That's the Man's way of telling you that's it's the end!"

_It's one chance in your lifetime_

But it won't be the last time

I swear there's always a next hill to climb

And you know there's a lifetime  


_  
_  
"But you have to play tonight," started Leonard.

"No we--," started the founder of the band.

"_NO_!" yelled Katie. The others stared at her, surprised by her sudden outburst. "We're playing our last one!"

"But it's just the bar and grill--!"

"Where we've play at every month for the past nine years," shot back the bassist.

"But Lawrence..." Freddy quickly trailed off as Katie glared at him.

"I...I can play the piano," volunteered Alicia.

Everyone exchanged looks and then turned to Dewey. He looked at Katie, who was glaring at him, and quickly nodded. "Okay," he pulled two chairs up to the keyboard, "we have eight hours for you to get everything."

_Changing what I once thought_

Letting go of what I once fought

There's a life that you need to find

All that's surfaced has changed my mind.  


_  
_  
That night, they played their final show. The restaurant was packed. Every seat in the house was filled. Dewey spotted a few long time fans and waved. He also spotted Freddy and Zack's usual preps begging for a marriage proposal and sighed impatiently.

It went a lot better than he expected. Alicia had an occasional stumble but only the band and crew noticed. They only played seven songs (five less than usual). They played their trademark song, _School of Rock_, as the closing piece ten minutes after the restaurant was suppose to close.

"Er..." said Dewey after the audience finsihed its final applause. "We wanted to let you all know that the band...is ending."

The clatter of cooking from the kitchen stopped. Someone dropped their plate and it shattered. The whole building fell silent.

"We decided earlier today, so you all just heard our last mind-blowing, gut-busting, face-melting performance."

Everyone on stage started to put their instruments away. The crowd was slowly coming out of its brief coma. Someone jumped up and started to clap and cheer. The rest of them joined in. When Dewey tried to get off the stage, they all surged forward. Shrugging, he jumped out and crowd surfed for a few minutes.

When the audience finished yelling itself hoarse, they all headed over to the table where Eleni and Micelle had set up the merchandises for sale. At first, the two had to limit one item per person so that everyone could get something. Then Dewey ran back to his van and got the dozen boxes of stuff so that there was enough to go around. Everyone bought at least on T-shirt and then just added to their order until they couldn't carry anything else.

An hour later, after the last customer left, Dewey handed out the last of the T-shirts to the employees and donated a few of their pends to the restaurant. They had their last meal as the band together and the manager took their final picture, promising to give them copies.

They all went back to the apartment to get the last of their things. Dewey found a box at the door of his apartment. He opened it to find twenty caps, T-shirts, pens, cups, etc. with a new School of Rock logo on all of them.

"We were going to hand them out in January when the band turned ten," mumbled Eleni.

Dewey handed out the things and some of the girls started to cry. He donned the shirt in order to hide a tear that squeezed out of the corner of his eye. The three backup singer hugged each and started to sob uncontrollably. Katie gave everyone hugs, trying to hold back the water works, and left with her bass and bundle of things to remember the band by. Even the guys were tearing up, but they were still trying to act macho about it. Dewey offered to drive them home and they accepted.

"Katie!" yelled Freddy as the other piled into the car. Dewey looked in the direction that the former drummer was facing and spotted a cowering figure, shaking from her giant sobs. Freddie ran over and gave her a hug and comforted her. Dewey got in the driver's seat. He looked to his left and another wave a sadness washed over as he look at the empty seat next to him that Summer used to occupy.

The back door closed and Dewey looked back. For a moment, he saw a group of ten year olds, sitting there, anxiously waiting for their audition for the Battle of the Bands competition. He blinked and saw a group of twenty year olds, squished together, all tear-stained.

"Hey, guys, we had a great run," he said, looking at them in turn. "You guys are the best. Just do me a favor, okay? Don't let the Man ever get you like he did me, okay?" They all nodded, thinking back to the day when Dewey introduced them to the Man.

"Oh, and bring me a sandwich when ever you're in town."

And so it ended.

_The end of the world's in front of me,_

Hard to believe all I see

It's one chance in your lifetime,

But it won't be the last time  


_  
_The aged Dewey looked through the window and saw taht T-shirt. He used to wear it all the time, but decided to frame it when he saw that the logo was beginning to come off. Thinking back, he knew that those ten years were the best ten of his life. After it, he gave guitar lessons with his best friend, Ned Schneebly. Business was great. Ned taught the beginner ones and Dewey took the older ones that transferred from Ned to him or those that just moved to town. He loved it when the kids started a band of their own. He never started another one, though.

Ned passed away five years before and Dewey closed the guitar lesson place. He couldnt' teach by himself. Ned was a natural with the young ones, but Dewey only scared them--or their parents, which ever one came first. He moved out to the country and gave an occasional lesson when a hopeful individual rang his doorbell.

Dewey got up and sighed. It was almost dawn. He opened the door and glanced over his should for the last time.

He was found a few hours later by a neighbor. There was a smile on his face and a guitar in his hand.

_I swear there's always a next hill to climb_

And you know there's a lifetime.  


There you have it people! I know the song has nothing to do with the fic at times, but I was listening to it while I was writing, and I thought the music went with the fic...I started to tear up at one point for some reason. Anyway. Liked it? Hated it? Feel so disgusted you want to hurl on me? Drop a review. FLAMES ARE ACCEPTED...because i think they're absolutely hilarious (yes, I have a strange sense of humor...I've only gotten that one seven or eight hundred times). Anyway...

Farfanugans,  
Chikin Wang


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